Pages 100-03. 23-24 July 1740. William Beverley, Esqr., of Essex County to Wm. Wright of Orange County. Lease and release; for £12-10.- current money. 413 acres... corner to John Seawright.. George Hutchinson's line... (signed) W. Beverley. Wit: Gibbons Jennings, Moses Thomson, John Pickens. 24 July 1740. Acknowledged by William Beverley, Gent. [Relinquishment of dower as above, Beverley to Page]. [Orange County Virginia Deed Book 4, Dorman, pg. 41].

Acquisition of Land from Chalkley's:

As shown above, William Wright acquired 413 acres in Beverley Manor from William Beverley in 1740 (which was subseqently returned back to Beverley in 1749 (listed below in "Dispositions") apparently because Beverley had originally conveyed title to the wrong land, based upon the following explanation:

On 22 Feb 1749 William Beverley sold the same land to Wm. Johnston and a few days later discovered that he had conveyed title to the same land twice. Hence William Wright conveyed title back to William Beverley to the 413 acres making the previous transfer to William Johnston valid and William Beverley conveyed to William Wright title to the correct two tracts (270 acres and 155 acres) correcting the 1740 error. (source: William Wright website http://users.hal-pc.org/~wmewrght/wmwright.html)

Page 515.—29th February, 1747-8. £77. John Holmes to William Wright, 260 acres in Beverley Manor, part of a large tract conveyed to James Mills and sold to Robert Wilson and John Holmes, patent line of Beverley Manor; Anthony Black's land; Wm. Robinson's line; John Wilson's line. Teste: Wm. Henderson, John Black, John Cunningham. Proved by all and dower released by Jane, 19th May, 1748.

Will of William Wright

from Chalkley's:

Page 476.—7th June, 1775. William Wright's will, aged about 68—To wife, mare bought from James Armstrong and the legacy felt her by her father; to son, Samuel; to son, John; to son, William; to each of my four daughters; to sons, James and Alexander, the home place. Executors, wife and son Sammuill. Tester Walter Davis, John Black. Proved, 20th August, 1776, by John Black, and on 18th March, 1777, by Walter Davis. Samuel refuses to execute.

Records of William Wright in Augusta County, VA

Page 444. January, 1747. £15. William Thompson and wife Jean to the inhabitants of the Presbyterian congregation1 of Tinkling Spring, viz., James Patton, John Christian, John Finley, James Alexander, William Wright chose commissioners and trustees for the congregation, 110 acres called and known by the name of Tinkling Spring in Beverley Manor, and part of 944 acres (deed by Beverley to Thompson, 1744, in Orange) adjoining George Caldwell. Acknowledged, 19th November, 1747, by William.

Page 515.—29th February, 1747-8. £77. John Holmes to William Wright, 260 acres in Beverley Manor, part of a large tract conveyed to James Mills and sold to Robert Wilson and John Holmes, patent line of Beverley Manor; Anthony Black's land; Wm. Robinson's line; John Wilson's line. Teste: Wm. Henderson, John Black, John Cunningham. Proved by all and dower released by Jane, 19th May, 1748.

Page 556.—28th February, 1749. Same to David Henderson, 580 acres on South Branch Shannandoe, in Beverley Manor on South River. William Patterson's line. Teste: William Wright, Alexander Henderson.

Page 215.—20th March, 1770. William ( ) Logan and Isabella ( ) to Samuel Wright, £130, 155 (C L V) acres in Beverley Manor, part of a tract sold by Beverley to William Wright and by William to said Logan, 23d May, 1750; Alexander Henderson's line; corner William Johnson. Teste: Elijah McClenachan, Patrick Campbell, William Meteer.

Page 35.--16th August, 1791. James Wright and Alexander Wright, sons and devisees of William Wright, deceased, and Elizabeth, wife of James, of Augusta, to Jacob Bear, 260 acres in Beverley Manor, part of tract originally surveyed for Joseph Mills, and sold to Robert Wilson and Jno. Holmes by deed which was conveyed to said William Wright, deceased, by John Holmes, February, 1748.

Information on William Wright

William Wright first appears in the records of Orange Co, VA, when he acquired land in the Beverly Patent in what is now Augusta Co, VA. He made his will in 1775 saying that he was 68 years old. From this we estimate his birth in 1707. Records in Augusta Co, VA, and in Bourbon Co, KY, show that he married Margaret.

In 1745, John Malchom (Malcolm) with wife Margaret of Augusta County made his will in which he named a daughter, Margaret Rite and grandson William Rite. This will is the basis by which most accounts say that William Wright married Margaret Malcolm. For a more complete discussion of the issues involved see my webpage: http://users.hal-pc.org/~wmewrght/wmwright.html.

Some anecdotal accounts suggest that William Wright married Margaret Black. Of course, he could have married first Margaret Malcolm and then later married Margaret Black. The issues are discussed in more detail on the above referenced webpage.

Some family researchers have extrapolated his parents names from the names of the first son and first daughter of William Wright baptized by Rev. Craig at Tinkling Spring (Presbyterian) Church in Augusta Co. These names are Samuel and Jean. This extrapolation would be justified if we were certain that Samuel and Jean were William Wright's oldest son and daughter. But again there are issues and uncertainties discussed on the above referenced webpage. His oldest son and daughter, could just as well have been William and Mary indicating that William Wright of Augusta Co, VA, was the son of William and Mary Wright.

The DNA test results show that we are in Haplogroup R1b1, the most common group in western Europe. The wikipedia says of this Haplogroup, "Its frequency is highest in Western Europe, especially in Atlantic Europe (and due to European emigration, in North America, South America, and Australia). In southern England, the frequency of R1b is about 70%, and in parts of north and western England, Spain, Portugal, France, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the frequency of R1b is greater than 90%."
--Bill Wright 21:07, 5 October 2008 (EDT)

William Wright came from Northern Ireland, possibly from Armagh County. Family legend has it that he emigrated from Ireland to American colonies with five sisters. William’s strong adherence to the Presbyterian faith indicates that his ancestors probably came to Northern Ireland from Scotland. Ethnically William belongs to the group commonly called “Scots-Irish.”

William Wright probably entered the colonies through Pennsylvania and he may have resided there for a time. But it is also possible that he may have entered through other ports in Virginia. William probably came during the first great wave of Scots-Irish immigration that began around 1735. He married Margaret, probably Margaret Malcolm. William began to leave a “paper trail” in the court documents of Orange/Augusta County, Virginia. We know that he arrived in Orange/Augusta Co. by the early 1740’s because of his association with the Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, where he was a charter member. In 1749 William acquired 425 acres land from William Beverly on what is known as The Beverly Patent. William was also a school teacher, which indicates that he was literate, during a time when few people could read or write. William and Margaret raised a family of five sons (Samuel, William, James, Alexander, and John) and several daughters: (Mary, Elizabeth, and Jean). William wrote his will in June 1775. In it he stated his age as 68, so, if accurate, it would place his birth in about 1707. His will was probated in Aug. 1776. William therefore died 1775-1776. His wife, Margaret, died after 14 Jul. 1791 probably in Bourbon Co., KY where she and her sons settled after the Revolutionary War.

For an in depth discussion of William Wright see a document written by William E. Wright at: [1] . Further information about the descendants of William Wright and Margaret Malcolm may be explored at: [2] .
by Richard W. Wright, Oct. 10, 2008.